Lump Crab & Avocado Salad
Two guest-favorite ingredients come together to make an iconic Tommy Bahama dish: our lump crab and avocado salad. We like to layer the ingredients with the help of a custom-made mold, but you can use a coffee can with the ends cut off—or just serve it freeform in a salad bowl.
Makes 4 servings
Lime-Caper Vinaigrette
1/4 cup/60 g nonpareil capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup/60 ml fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp amber agave nectar
2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil (not extra virgin)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
1/2 romaine lettuce heart, about 7 oz./200 g, cut crosswise into thin strips
3 Tbsp minced red onion
2 Tbsp nonpareil capers, rinsed and drained
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-in./12-mm dice (see note below)
1/4 cup/40 g well-crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb./455 g lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage and shell
2 to 3 small vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 20 wedges total, each about 1/4 in./6 mm wide
4 Tbsp/40 g well-crumbled feta cheese
4 pieces crisp flatbread, for serving
Special Equipment: 1 stainless-steel or silicone entremet ring, about 4 in./10 cm in diameter and at least 2 1/2 in./6 cm tall, available at restaurant suppliers and online (or remove the top and bottom of a 28-oz./784-g can of about the same dimensions)
Instructions
1
Lime-Caper Vinaigrette: Purée the capers, lime juice, agave, and rice vinegar in a blender. With the machine running, add the oil through the hole in the blender lid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The dressing can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Whisk well before serving.)
2
Toss the romaine lettuce, red onion, capers, diced avocado, and 1/4 cup feta in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup/60 ml of the vinaigrette and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3
Toss the crab and 2 Tbsp of the dressing in a medium bowl. For each serving, place the entremet mold in the center of a wide soup bowl and fill with one-fourth of the romaine lettuce salad, taking care to keep the salad high but still tightly packed. Using a knife, lift and transfer one-fourth of the sliced avocados to the lettuce, keeping the fan shape intact. Top with one-fourth of the crab mixture. Lift up and remove the entremet ring. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the feta cheese. Place 5 of the tomato wedges around the salad, and drizzle about 1 tsp of the vinaigrette over them. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Perch a flatbread on the bowl and serve immediately, with any remaining dressing passed on the side or reserved for another use.
4
Note: Preparing Avocados Hass avocados have a very dark, pebbly skin. They are rarely sold ripened, so let them stand at room temperature for a few days until they yield when gently squeezed. To peel and pit an avocado, use a large knife to cut it in half lengthwise, reaching down to the pit. Twist the halves apart, revealing the pit, which will remain in one avocado half. Holding the half with the pit in one hand, rap the sharp edge of the knife in the pit to embed the knife—it doesn’t have to be very deep. Twist the knife to remove the pit from the flesh. Using a large soup spoon, scoop the flesh out of the peel in one piece. The avocado flesh is now ready to prepare as directed in the recipe. We often fan out the avocado halves, which allows them to cover more surface and looks attractive, too. To do this, place the peeled avocado halves, cut side down, on a cutting board. Cut each half lengthwise into 1/4-in./6-mm slices. With your hand, gently fan out the slices on the board.
Lump Crab & Avocado Salad
Two guest-favorite ingredients come together to make an iconic Tommy Bahama dish: our lump crab and avocado salad. We like to layer the ingredients with the help of a custom-made mold, but you can use a coffee can with the ends cut off—or just serve it freeform in a salad bowl.
Makes 4 servings
Lime-Caper Vinaigrette
1/4 cup/60 g nonpareil capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup/60 ml fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp amber agave nectar
2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil (not extra virgin)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
1/2 romaine lettuce heart, about 7 oz./200 g, cut crosswise into thin strips
3 Tbsp minced red onion
2 Tbsp nonpareil capers, rinsed and drained
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-in./12-mm dice (see note below)
1/4 cup/40 g well-crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb./455 g lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage and shell
2 to 3 small vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 20 wedges total, each about 1/4 in./6 mm wide
4 Tbsp/40 g well-crumbled feta cheese
4 pieces crisp flatbread, for serving
Special Equipment: 1 stainless-steel or silicone entremet ring, about 4 in./10 cm in diameter and at least 2 1/2 in./6 cm tall, available at restaurant suppliers and online (or remove the top and bottom of a 28-oz./784-g can of about the same dimensions)
Instructions
1
Lime-Caper Vinaigrette: Purée the capers, lime juice, agave, and rice vinegar in a blender. With the machine running, add the oil through the hole in the blender lid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The dressing can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Whisk well before serving.)
2
Toss the romaine lettuce, red onion, capers, diced avocado, and 1/4 cup feta in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup/60 ml of the vinaigrette and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3
Toss the crab and 2 Tbsp of the dressing in a medium bowl. For each serving, place the entremet mold in the center of a wide soup bowl and fill with one-fourth of the romaine lettuce salad, taking care to keep the salad high but still tightly packed. Using a knife, lift and transfer one-fourth of the sliced avocados to the lettuce, keeping the fan shape intact. Top with one-fourth of the crab mixture. Lift up and remove the entremet ring. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the feta cheese. Place 5 of the tomato wedges around the salad, and drizzle about 1 tsp of the vinaigrette over them. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Perch a flatbread on the bowl and serve immediately, with any remaining dressing passed on the side or reserved for another use.
4
Note: Preparing Avocados Hass avocados have a very dark, pebbly skin. They are rarely sold ripened, so let them stand at room temperature for a few days until they yield when gently squeezed. To peel and pit an avocado, use a large knife to cut it in half lengthwise, reaching down to the pit. Twist the halves apart, revealing the pit, which will remain in one avocado half. Holding the half with the pit in one hand, rap the sharp edge of the knife in the pit to embed the knife—it doesn’t have to be very deep. Twist the knife to remove the pit from the flesh. Using a large soup spoon, scoop the flesh out of the peel in one piece. The avocado flesh is now ready to prepare as directed in the recipe. We often fan out the avocado halves, which allows them to cover more surface and looks attractive, too. To do this, place the peeled avocado halves, cut side down, on a cutting board. Cut each half lengthwise into 1/4-in./6-mm slices. With your hand, gently fan out the slices on the board.
Lump Crab & Avocado Salad
Two guest-favorite ingredients come together to make an iconic Tommy Bahama dish: our lump crab and avocado salad. We like to layer the ingredients with the help of a custom-made mold, but you can use a coffee can with the ends cut off—or just serve it freeform in a salad bowl.
Makes 4 servings
Lime-Caper Vinaigrette
1/4 cup/60 g nonpareil capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup/60 ml fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp amber agave nectar
2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil (not extra virgin)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
1/2 romaine lettuce heart, about 7 oz./200 g, cut crosswise into thin strips
3 Tbsp minced red onion
2 Tbsp nonpareil capers, rinsed and drained
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-in./12-mm dice (see note below)
1/4 cup/40 g well-crumbled feta cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb./455 g lump crabmeat, picked over for cartilage and shell
2 to 3 small vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 20 wedges total, each about 1/4 in./6 mm wide
4 Tbsp/40 g well-crumbled feta cheese
4 pieces crisp flatbread, for serving
Special Equipment: 1 stainless-steel or silicone entremet ring, about 4 in./10 cm in diameter and at least 2 1/2 in./6 cm tall, available at restaurant suppliers and online (or remove the top and bottom of a 28-oz./784-g can of about the same dimensions)
Instructions
1
Lime-Caper Vinaigrette: Purée the capers, lime juice, agave, and rice vinegar in a blender. With the machine running, add the oil through the hole in the blender lid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The dressing can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Whisk well before serving.)
2
Toss the romaine lettuce, red onion, capers, diced avocado, and 1/4 cup feta in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup/60 ml of the vinaigrette and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3
Toss the crab and 2 Tbsp of the dressing in a medium bowl. For each serving, place the entremet mold in the center of a wide soup bowl and fill with one-fourth of the romaine lettuce salad, taking care to keep the salad high but still tightly packed. Using a knife, lift and transfer one-fourth of the sliced avocados to the lettuce, keeping the fan shape intact. Top with one-fourth of the crab mixture. Lift up and remove the entremet ring. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the feta cheese. Place 5 of the tomato wedges around the salad, and drizzle about 1 tsp of the vinaigrette over them. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper. Perch a flatbread on the bowl and serve immediately, with any remaining dressing passed on the side or reserved for another use.
4
Note: Preparing Avocados Hass avocados have a very dark, pebbly skin. They are rarely sold ripened, so let them stand at room temperature for a few days until they yield when gently squeezed. To peel and pit an avocado, use a large knife to cut it in half lengthwise, reaching down to the pit. Twist the halves apart, revealing the pit, which will remain in one avocado half. Holding the half with the pit in one hand, rap the sharp edge of the knife in the pit to embed the knife—it doesn’t have to be very deep. Twist the knife to remove the pit from the flesh. Using a large soup spoon, scoop the flesh out of the peel in one piece. The avocado flesh is now ready to prepare as directed in the recipe. We often fan out the avocado halves, which allows them to cover more surface and looks attractive, too. To do this, place the peeled avocado halves, cut side down, on a cutting board. Cut each half lengthwise into 1/4-in./6-mm slices. With your hand, gently fan out the slices on the board.
